Terms of Endearment
by starbuckfaerie21
Summary: What if Cam and Bones switched places during "The Man in the Cell" from Season Two? Read on to find out. This is my first Bones fic.


Terms of Endearment: A Bones fanfiction

**Terms of Endearment: A Bones fanfiction**

**Disclaimer: Bones belongs to FOX and Hart Hanson, not me. Wish I had a Seeley Booth of my very own though! Bits of dialogue taken from the actual episode.**

**Pairing: B&B of course**

**Summary: What if Cam and Brennan had switched places during "The Man in the Cell" from Season Two? Read on to find out.**

Dr. Temperance Brennan wasn't the type of person to admit when she was afraid but everyone around her could tell especially Angela, who was pretty shook up herself every since she'd opened the box with the human heart inside that Howard Epps had sent to the lab. But Angela had been only the first target in the serial killer's twisted game. Brennan had been the one to discover the amusement park token in Caroline Epps's mouth. When Brennan told Booth what she'd found, he'd headed for the park with Cam by his side. Temperance wished that she'd been with Booth but she wasn't good with children. And she wasn't sure what to say to Booth in such an emotional situation. The best way to help Booth was to remain at the lab, looking for clues to solve the case.

_At least that's what she told herself._

Brennan had just finished telling Zach to wait to cut open the head until after she'd finished examining it.

She picked up before the end of the first ring, knowing that it could only be one person.

_Her partner._

_Her friend._

_But was he something else as well?_

_We're partners and friends and nothing more._

_At least that's what she told herself. _

"Booth? Is Parker all right?"

Booth put Brennan on speakerphone so that both he and Cam could hear what she'd discovered.

"Yeah Parker's fine."

Brennan let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. After a moment of silence, she heard a hint of impatience in Booth's voice.

"Have you opened the head yet?"

"No, I just finished explaining to Zach that we couldn't until…"

"Open the head Bones." Booth said interrupting his partner's explanation.

"Booth…Shouldn't I wait for Cam? Autopsies are her specialty… not mine.

This time the voice that came over the phone line belonged to Dr. Saroyan.

"You have my permission to proceed with the autopsy, Dr. Brennan. We'll see you when we get back to the lab."

Brennan couldn't explain why she was hesitant to open the head. She just had a feeling.

"But…there's something else that I haven't quite figured out yet…I don't think I should…"

"Why are you fighting me on this? This bastard got free and came after my kid, Bones! There's something in that head and Epps wants us to find it. Now, please just open the head and let us know when you've got something okay?"

Booth knew that he was yelling but he couldn't stop himself.

Brennan sighed and replied, "All right, Booth. I'll open it."

Temperance realized that her partner had hung up without saying goodbye. She tried to ignore the twinge of hurt she felt as she called Zach into the autopsy room.

"Yes Dr. Brennan?" Zach asked as he appeared at her side.

"Could you bring me the #2 saw please?"

The serious expression on her face told Zach not to question her and so he brought her the instrument and stood behind her to observe as she began the autopsy.

The weight of the saw in Brennan's hand was reassuring as she bent forward over the head and started to make an incision across the forehead.

Seconds later there was a loud pop and the autopsy room was filled with a thick cloud of white powder and the siren blared throughout the lab.

"**Biological contamination**!"

Brennan tried to shout but her voice came out as a hoarse whisper as she suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

She heard Zach calling her name and then his voice on the phone calling for a medic as she fell to the floor of the autopsy room, unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

Booth and Cam had gotten the call about Brennan just before they reached the lab and then promptly turned back toward the hospital.

Now they both sat outside of her hospital room getting an update from a nurse.

"Her heart rate is erratic…there's clotting in the kidneys…"

"Wait, how bad is that?" Booth asked with an edge of concern in his voice.

"Bad enough," the nurse answered with a sigh. But what worries us more is the lung damage. The toxin has caused edema."

At this Booth became even more concerned, "What does that mean? I don't know what that means."

The irony of his statement didn't escape him. It was usually Bones that used that particular catchphrase.

Cam stepped up and laid her hand on Booth's shoulder and spoke softly, "It means that the fluid in her lungs is building up. Essentially, she's drowning. I'm sorry Seeley."

The nurse nodded and spoke again. "If she has family nearby you might wait to send for them."

"Bones doesn't have any family…her father and brother are on the run in who knows where by now and her mother's dead."

The nurse shot Booth a sympathetic glance just before he made his way into Brennan's room. Cam cornered her just before she went back to her station and asked, "How much time does she have?"

"Send for her family," was all the nurse could say.

Booth was sitting in Brennan's hospital room when she regained consciousness for the first time.

"Bones, can you hear me?" Booth asked as he watched her eyelids flutter.

Brennan opened her eyes slowly and when her vision swam into focus she saw her partner looking back at her.

"Booth, what was the poison?"

Brennan's voice was muffled and soft even though she felt like she was screaming.

Booth put his hand on top of hers and willed his voice not to shake as he answered, "The squints aren't sure yet but they're working on it."

"Not a gas…white powder…tell them…Zach?"

"He's fine Bones…everybody's good…and you're going to be all right too."

His hand still on Brennan's, Booth paused and then continued, "Listen Bones, I'm sorry…I'm the one who put some much pressure on you to hurry…I didn't think…"

Brennan shook her head, "Not your fault Booth."

Booth was about to respond when he heard his cell phone ringing. "I gotta take this Bones. I'll be right back okay?"

But Brennan had already drifted back into unconsciousness.

Booth walked out into the hallway to take the call.

"Booth?"

"So who'd I get?"

The sound of Epps's voice made Booth's skin crawl but Booth had to keep him talking to get as much information as possible to save Bones.

"Neat trick Howie. Tell me about the poison."

"Tell me who I got and I'll tell you."

_Don't tell him it was Brennan. That's what he wants._

Booth made the sign of the cross and then spoke, "Dr. Saroyan."

"She tried to remove the bulb with forceps but it was too fragile…it snapped."

"Yeah, it did but you already knew that didn't you, Howie?"

"Of course I knew that Agent Booth. I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Now, tell me about the poison you sonofabitch or I'll just toss your mother back into our holding cell."

Booth heard Epp's breath hitch on the other end of the phone. "My mother?"

_Good, make the bastard sweat._

"Yeah, we have her in custody Howie. Tell me about the poison and she goes free."

"The body knows what the head can't say. Good luck, Agent Booth."

When the line went dead, Booth went back into Brennan's hospital room.

"That was Epps with another clue Bones."

At the sound of Booth's voice, Brennan opened her eyes and whispered, "What was the clue?"

"He said, "The body knows what the head can't say."

"Caroline's body." Brennan whispered.

"Yeah, I think so." Booth replied as he watched his partner struggle for every breath. "Just hang in there, Bones. We'll figure this out, I promise."

Brennan nodded and struggled to breathe, "I'm tired Booth…I have to close my eyes for a moment. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just rest. I'll head back to the lab and see if the squints found anything new. Want me to bring back any illegal contraband?"

Brennan gave him her iconic confused look and whispered, "I don't know what that means."

Booth smiled at his partner, "Do you need anything? Fries or a chocolate shake from the diner maybe?"

Brennan shook her head, "No but I'd like to see Angela."

"Okay, I'll tell her when I go to the lab." Booth replied as he gently squeezed her hand in a gesture of farewell.

"Thank you, Booth."

Just then Brennan's eyes drifted shut and one of the many machines that monitored her vital signs began to beep loudly drawing the attention of several nurses.

A distraught Booth turned from his partner to the nurses and back again.

"What's happening?" Booth shouted in alarm.

"Sir, you need to give us some room please." One of the nurses said in a sympathetic tone.

Booth shook his head emphatically, "Listen, I'm not going anywhere until somebody tells me what's going on with my partner!"

"The fluid buildup in her lungs made her stop breathing. She needs to be intubated right away."

Booth stepped back and felt powerless as he watched the nurses force a tube down his unconscious partner's throat.

He fought tears as he thought about the pain that his Bones must be feeling. He ran an anxious hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall outside of Brennan's hospital room and dialed Angela's extension at the lab.

"Jeffersonian Institute, this is Angela Montenegro."

Angela picked up on the first ring.

"Angela, it's Booth. I'm still at the hospital…"

Angela read the worry in Booth's voice and interrupted him.

"What's wrong? Is it Brennan?" Angela asked as she tried to swallow the knot of fear that was suddenly lodged in her throat.

"She can't breathe on her own…They had to put her on a machine. She wants to see you. I think she's preparing herself just in case…"

Booth's voice cracked when he heard Angela stifle a sob on the other end of the line.

"No, don't you dare even say it…don't even think it!" Angela shouted through the phone.

"What can I do?" Angela asked suddenly all business once again, instantly forgetting her emotional outburst.

"Tell Zach and Hodgins to work fast and find out what the hell this poison is and the treatment. She asked you to come but I think you'll be more useful there. I'll stay with her. Have one of the squints call me as soon as they get me a name and a treatment for this poison."

Booth disconnected the phone without waiting for Angela to say goodbye and went back to sit with Bones.

Even though he knew that Brennan didn't believe in God, Booth still prayed that she would survive.

His prayers were finally answered when his cell phone rang. This time he didn't bother getting up from the chair beside Brennan's bed where he'd fallen asleep.

"Booth?"

"Booth, it's Hodgins. The poison is methelbromide mixed with common plaster dust."

"What's the treatment?" Booth asked impatiently.

"Resemic epiphrenine. I already called the hospital."

"Hodgins, I knew you'd come through for me. Did you say the poison was mixed with plaster dust?"

_Plaster dust. There was something in the back of Booth's mind that made that important. After a moment it came to him._

"Yeah why?" Hodgins asked, curious.

"Tell the F.B.I. and S.W.A. T. teams posted at Brennan's apartment building to look for Epps in the unit next door to Bones."

"Okay, will do man but remember your priorities here…number one be there when the one you love comes back from the brink of death. Priority number two…catch the serial killer."

Booth couldn't help but smile. "Thanks Hodgins."

Minutes later Booth stood over his partner's bed, as the nurse administered the treatment.

"Why is it taking so long?" Booth asked impatiently.

"It's not." The nurse replied. "She's responding. I'm going to remove the breathing tube now. She should regain consciousness shortly."

The moment the nurse began the slow process of removing the tube, Brennan's eyes shot open as she gasped for breath and struggled against the presence of the foreign object still lodged in her throat.

Within seconds Booth placed a comforting hand across her body to calm her.

"Shh, Bones, Take it easy…you're okay. It's coming out. Try to keep as still as possible so it doesn't hurt."

Brennan met his eyes and stopped struggling. As the tube came out of her throat, she exploded into a fit of coughing and Booth held her against his chest and gave her sips of water through a straw until it subsided.

Booth guided her shoulders back toward the pillow and she exhaled softly and met his eyes again.

After a moment, Booth found his voice. "Welcome back Temperance," Booth whispered as he took hold of her hand.

"Seeley, don't call me Temperance," Brennan said in a voice that was light and hoarse from lack of use. But Booth saw the light in her eyes.

"Don't call me Seeley, " Booth said with a smile of his own.

And before he could stop himself, the next few words slipped out of his mouth.

"How ya feelin' babe?" The words sounded right and natural to his ears as though it was the hundredth time he'd uttered them instead of the first.

Booth quickly backpedaled to fill the silence between them. "I mean Bones…How ya feelin' Bones?"

But it was too late to take it back. The line had finally been crossed. They were more than just partners now. They'd finally admitted their feelings to each other and to themselves.

_Fin_


End file.
